Unliving

Chapter 8 - Wounds

Sesshoumaru held his horse by the straps and looked towards the woods. He still had the metallic taste of blood in his mouth, and hadn't retracted his fangs. His eyes were narrowed into a murderous look which would have scared senseless any living being, and maybe even an unliving one…

The horse neighed and threw its head upwards a few times, and Sesshoumaru's arm sprung up with the beast's movements. The vampire inside him sensed something off in the picture. He raised his chin and sniffed the tacky air, following the wind through the leaves.

It was pitch dark and he assumed it must have been around 1 a.m. The crescent moon was hidden by a shallow coat of grey and dark clouds, and he felt random droplets of rain on his skin. The wind blew just slightly, so his still form wasn't even being animated by the long hair usually moving around his body.

He felt some sort of heavy burden pressing against his body, and stinging at his senses. It annoyed him.

The horse kept fumbling under his grip and snarled periodically, trying to step back. Sesshoumaru shot the animal a mindful look, then his attention fell on a barely visible, moving spot in the distance. He lowered his head to focus on whatever was coming closer to him, and clenched his teeth in expectance of danger.

His entire body was screaming it to him. Whatever was coming was not good. His muscles tensed and he tilted his head to the side, in a menacing posture of immobility. A deep growl came from his chest as the spot closed in on him. He decided to stand still and hold his ground.

Devonshire's words lit his thoughts, and a shallow shiver pierced his body from one end to the other. If he were to believe him…

The bright blue eyes stopped their movement ten feet from him. A set of sharp, strong fangs revealed this creature's nature, and the rough appearance completed the image of a ferocious predator. He cracked his fingers, and Sesshoumaru knew exactly what was coming.

A set of long, sharp and slightly curved in talons headed in his direction without any kind of introduction, and Sesshoumaru dodged the sudden attack just barely, releasing the horse from his grip. The poor animal immediately fledged, and left its master to face a tall, massive creature that looked neither human nor feral.

The werewolf showed his sharp teeth while bending his body forward to Sesshoumaru and extended his arms to each side, his fingers tensed and arched inwards. His eyes were bright blue and sparkling in the depth of the night's darkness.

Sesshoumaru was unarmed, seeing as a werewolf would have been the only one he could fear, and they hadn't challenged any vampire for centuries. What had drove him out?

The werewolf sprung forward and tried to cut at Sesshoumaru's throat with his claws, but only succeeded in scratching his shoulder, as the vampire leaped to the side rapidly. A fast succession of turns and twists of the beast's body forced Sesshoumaru to move as fast as he could, to escape those daggering talons. Between growls and barks, the werewolf cut at the vampire's flesh more than once, and Sesshoumaru felt he was beginning to tire.

He extended his arm and drew a fast and deep cut into the creature's chest. His speed was indeed greater than the werewolf's but he knew that he stood no chance, even so.

The wound he had just inflicted closed before his eyes, leaving merely a trail of blood behind, the only testimony that he had indeed cut the creature.

The werewolf grinned ferociously and leapt with such speed, that Sesshoumaru could only see the blue spark of his eyes, before he landed on top of him, pinning him to the ground. His claws pierced each of Sesshoumaru's shoulders, drawing genuine holes into his body. He flinched, but didn't whimper.

Instead, Sesshoumaru focused on the only weapon he knew to work against one of these creatures, aside from silver. He willed blood through his dead veins, flooding his body with crimson life. His eyes burnt with hatred, and he closed them for only a second, while he searched for the remainder of what he used to be.

His youkai blood, although faintly present within him, was nevertheless still there, and could help him now. He shot his eyes open just as the werewolf opened his mouth and sprung forward to his throat. Sesshoumaru could feel the poison gathering in his claws and lengthened them as much as he could. He raised his arms to meet the creature's face and plunged his talons in his neck. The beast howled as if his eyes were burnt out, and fell backwards, releasing Sesshoumaru's shoulders. The vampire stood up, disgusted with the blood making its way down his face and chest. He knew he wasn't finished.

He jumped up and landed with a knee on the werewolf's throat, pressing on the fresh wound. He could see the surprise in his eyes, realizing that he could not close the wound. Bright green, poisonous fumes rose from both the bleeding laceration and Sesshoumaru's claws. His white skin was drenched in warm blood, and with one huge effort he gathered poison once more.

His strength was rapidly deserting him, and he knew that he had to wound his enemy severely enough for him to abandon the fight.

He felt a sharp pain in his back as the werewolf ripped at his flesh and he was almost certain that his ribs were in pieces, but the excruciating pain only drove anger through his veins. Anger which called upon his youkai blood to save his life. So he grabbed the werewolf by the throat and sunk his claws in as deep as he could reach, releasing the last amount of poison he thought he held within him.

The claws in his back retracted and he could feel the creature under him try to escape. He released his grip and allowed him to return to wherever he'd come from. He stood there, unmoving, for as long as it took the werewolf to disappear into the dark. When he became certain that he was alone again, he crashed to the ground, aware of every injury on his body.

He was a carcass of pain, and nothing else. He was an unbleeding wound, because he'd now stopped the blood flow inside him. He was severely weakened as it was, he didn't need his blood to be shed for nothing!

As he lost his consciousness, Sesshoumaru feared that he could not get home in time for the sun not to scorch his damned flesh into nonexistence. His mind squirmed at the impossibility of keeping his body afloat, and his eyes fluttered shut after no more than a few minutes of struggle.

Kagome's violet eyes flashed before his eyes, as he hung onto the last piece of consciousness inside him. He regretted not having known her better.

:---:

Kagome was still in the same room he's left her in, walking up and down it in a nervous attempt to calm her nerves.

She took another look at the clock on the wall.

It read 3:46 am.

She bit on her teeth and clenched her fists, continuing her fast walk across the chamber.

"What could take this long?" she couldn't help ask out loud.

'Is it really that difficult to just… Just…' she couldn't bring herself to even think it. The image it provided filled her with disgust and fear. She never wanted to see Sesshoumaru do it. She shook her head and looked out the window. A large, black horse stood at the main entrance, snarling and shaking its massive had every now and then.

Kagome frowned.

'It's his horse…' she remembered, and without further though, stormed out the door, and to the wide alley where the horse stood. She exited the castle with a shallow noise of the massive doors opening, and stopped just before the black beast. She felt the petty rain on her hair and face, but could only stare at the horse. She went to grab it by the straps, and much to her surprise, the animal stood still at her movement.

Something inside her shifted at the touch on the horse's warm body, and she hurried to climb on its back, without thinking that her riding skills weren't the most trained ones.

The horse appeared to wait for the woman to get used to the new posture, and then took a sharp turn to the left, forcing Kagome to tighten her grip on the leather straps in her hands. In a second she was off, riding this almost wild animal, and she had no idea where she was going.

Her legs caught the hard muscles underneath the creature's skin, and she felt the warmth from the effort spreading inside her. Its movements were rhythmical and deliberate, perfectly controlled so that she could lean securely against its back. She entangled her fingers in the thick strands of hair and leaned forward, bending down her back and adjusting her own body motion to fit the body under her.

Her chase came to a sudden stop a few minutes later, in front of a still form collapsed on the rich grass on the hill. Kagome dismounted and rushed to him, holding her breath. She knew he wasn't dead, that is, she hoped that he wouldn't be, because he couldn't really die… right?

She knelt beside his, and cleared the white blood stained hair off his face. He was leaning on one side, and she pushed his shoulder back with all her strength. His limp body was heavier than one would have thought, seeing him move so gracefully. Sesshoumaru fell on his back and the image of his wounds drove a cold shudder through Kagome. She couldn't keep her voice from rising, then falling into a helpless and stunned whimper at the sight of his broken form.

His coat was torn, and so was what was left of his shirt. His face was covered in speckles of dried blood, which trailed his neck and parts of his torso. Upon a closer inspection, Kagome found that she could practically fit her fingers into the holes at his shoulders. His chest was almost cut open by a long gash which carried down to his left hip. Kagome wondered how in the world he could survive this.

She looked over his body, in search of other wounds, frantically asking herself who could have possibly brought him in such a condition.

She instinctively leaned forward to his mouth, in hope that she could catch a shallow breath, but immediately pulled back, shaking her head helplessly in realization that he didn't breathe even while awake. Vampire!

"Sesshoumaru! Sesshoumaru!" she shouted, but no response came from the dead body beside her. She was afraid to shake him because he seemed so badly injured that she feared he would fall apart if she did that.

Her heart went crazy with fear, but strangely enough she could feel her fingers grow cold and her face lose color. Her eyes were wide open and taking in the sight of his blood stained face.

"Sesshoumaru…" she whispered, and looked up at the sky, begging for help. She really didn't know if she should be doing that, but she had no other choice.

Unable to tell if he was alive or not, Kagome said his name over and over again, whispering it, shouting and screaming it out, pleating him to wake, ordering him to wake. Anything, just to know he was still alive. Anything, and she kept repeating it until her eyes watered his skin, until her trembling voice was cut by the sore sting in her throat, and her plea turned into quiet sobs of desperation.

She bent her head and rested her forehead against his. She felt him cold and stiff, and her heart caught in her chest. Her fingers ran over his perfect, frozen features, as she breathed heavily over his pale mouth. Her body fell against the ground and she laid there beside him, tearless and hollow, praying for his gold eyes to burn her again.

She didn't know how long she'd been resting there, inert, when the terrible truth hit her right in the chest.

"Sunrise!" she darted her head up and stared at the sky. It was still cloudy and dark, but sunrise would come, and then all hope would be lost. She looked desperately around and saw the black horse still beside them, waiting.

She stood on her knees, searching Sesshoumaru's face once again. He seemed the same as she'd found him. No sign of life or movement, and Kagome gathered her courage to see him through this. She was the only one there. She had no idea if the personnel from Muncaster had any idea of his vampire nature, and so she couldn't ask for help from them. She had to figure out some way to take him back by herself. And fast.

She swallowed and ran her fingers over his wounds. Frowning, and tensing her every muscle, she grabbed his broad shoulders and tried to lift his torso. Her efforts were in vain, though, as the former youkai was impossible to move. She barely succeeded in lifting his shoulders from the ground an inch.

She tried again, in hope that she would get used to the weight, and finally lift his shoulders. She had no idea what to do after that, though; because there was no way in hell she could put him on that horse. He was too damned heavy!

So she whimpered a few times, pulling by his punctured shoulders, then fell against his chest with a whine of failure, and the fear of his definitive death.

"No, God dammit! Wake up! Wake up!" Kagome screamed in his face a second later, tightening her fists, and narrowing her eyes.

"You can't die on me, Sesshoumaru! You just can't, do you hear me? Now wake the hell up!" Her cries were filled with anger, against his fate, against her helplessness…

Her eyes fell closed for a moment, before she again looked at the sky. A slender purple ribbon was cutting the horizon, and Kagome's heart stopped, while she was staring at the natural event.

"No…" He hadn't told her anything about his weaknesses, but sunlight was the main NO-NO for vampires, anyone could tell you that much.

A fresh breeze from the approaching dawn caressed her face, and Kagome dreaded the soft touch of the wind.

Her eyes were stuck on the purple strip snaking across the sky, in the distance, and the reality of his death became obvious to her. She looked at her hands. They were trembling and she formed fists to stop the involuntary reaction.

When she looked at his face, two golden bees stung her gaze, and she held her breath while looking into his eyes.

She dared not say anything, but widened her own eyes, barely believing that he'd come through.

He blinked, and she let out a deep, fast breath of liberation, smiling nervously at him, and breathing rapidly.

"God, you've scared me!" she said, frowning at him.

Sesshoumaru couldn't feel much other that pain. His wounds were severe, but he tried to move. Every effort sent spears through his body, but a fast look towards the horizon convinced him that horrible agony was preferable to death.

"I apologize." Was all he said, in a pained dim voice, and Kagome shook her head, barely keeping her tears from falling. She stood up and bent to offer him some help as he struggled to stand.

Sesshoumaru accepted the offer, although it wasn't much, he thought. It was the best she could do though, and he appreciated it. His arm went over her shoulders and the wounds made their presence clear with a sharp pain in his entire arm. While fighting to stand up, he tensed his abdomen and was forced to crouch and go limp for a second, by the ripping pain in his gut. Kagome stuck her feet in the ground and held him as best she could, without making his pain even worse.

Eventually, he stood up and walked to the horse. He smiled faintly while looking at the animal, and nodded once.

"This will be difficult, Saidan…" Sesshoumaru whispered. Kagome smiled. Saidan meant altar, translated into English. The horse bowed on its front knees to allow its master easier access. Sesshoumaru took in a deep breath and climbed on the raven horse. Kagome almost cried out her startle when she saw the claw marks on Sesshoumaru's back. She put a hand over her mouth, as the vampire took hold of the leather straps on his horse, and bent forward a little.

"You must take lead, Kagome." She stared at him for a moment, and saw how difficult it was for him to sit there. She nodded and climbed in front of him on Saidan, praying that she could rely on him to get them both back home.

Saidan took off slowly, as Sesshoumaru leaned against Kagome's back, grimacing at every shift of pace. Kagome periodically looked back at the sky and her worry grew with the light.

She could feel his body pressing against her back, and she tensed to uphold his weight. He was one massive youkai, that was for sure! Or, was it vampire? Kagome couldn't see him as only vampire; she just couldn't get passed his original nature. She knew that there was some sort of youkai left inside him, although she remained a stranger from the amount of it still present in Sesshoumaru.

They eventually reached the gates of Muncaster, and Saidan headed for another entrance, since there were chances for them to come across some maid or other member of the personnel. Dawn was braking through and Kagome though that Sesshoumaru had entered his castle through that particular door many times, if the horse could get them straight there.

To confirm Kagome's suspicions, Saidan took a serpent narrow alley along the North wall, and followed the corners of the huge castle to some deepening in one of the walls. There stood a massive door, which the horse pushed open with its head, before Kagome could dismount. She found herself in a large dark hall, and almost jumped at the sound of the doors closing behind her.

She was cold and trembling with her every muscle. She took a look behind, where Sesshoumaru was still leaning against her.

She hoped he was awake, because she didn't need a sequel to what had happened on the hill.

"We're home." She whispered, and he slowly lifted his head.

Saidan knelt and they both climbed down, Sesshoumaru faintly smiled at his horse. Saidan had saved him… again. The horse shook its head and snarled once, standing up.

"There are stairs there." He said, and Kagome tried to focus so that she would see something in the darkness. She eventually saw the stairs and helped him up. Fortunately, at the end she found thick black candles burning, suspended on the walls, and she grabbed one by the iron carving which held it.

Doors were present on each side of the rough wall, all closed, and Kagome made her way through with great difficulty, trying to sustain Sesshoumaru and attentive to any word he might be attempting to say. He nodded to one door, and she pushed it open with one foot. Sesshoumaru released her shoulders, and Kagome felt significantly lighter. A large, dim lit room was behind the door, and she stared at the various objects there.

What caught her eye was the bed, almost identical to hers, even to the blood colored sheets. The room had no windows, which to her seemed a little peculiar, but when she thought about it for a second, it made perfect sense.

Sesshoumaru slowly advanced to the bed, and almost fell on it, with a silent thud. Kagome put the candle on the nearest table, which was actually a desk, and rushed to him.

"Are you…" she was gonna say alright, but it would have just sounded idiotic. Obviously, he was not alright. Half of his body was in pieces, and he was constantly frowning from the pain.

"Do not worry, I will recover. I will only take one or two nights before I will be able to move properly again." Kagome widened her eyes. Could he actually heal that fast?

"How will I know if..."

"I will not die." He cut her sentence, seeing the worry on her face. Kagome nodded.

"We have to get you out of these ripped clothes. Do you need bandages? I mean… I could work something out…"

"There is no need, bandages are found in the bathroom. And yes, they would help, if you could tie them tight." Kagome gave him an odd look.

"But bandages aren't supposed to go too tight, they might suppress the…"

"Blood flow." He moaned, standing on his butt. Kagome closed her eyes.

"Yeah. Sorry." She pushed the coat off his shoulders and just threw it on the floor. She paused and backed for a moment, before disappearing into the bathroom and returning with the kit.

It was a large white case, and Kagome placed it on the bed, beside him.

She took out the large scissors, and gave him a look from under her eyebrows.

"I can't do it otherwise; it would only make the pain worse for you." He nodded slowly, and Kagome proceeded into cutting off his torn shirt.

She pulled it out of his pants and frowned at how deep the laceration on his abdomen ant chest was. The open wound looked eerie, with no blood coming out, and the flesh parted like that. She swallowed, and tried not to pass out.

Sesshoumaru arched his back a little, looking at her while she cut his clothes off. First the remainders on the chest, then each of the sleeves were removed, and he was left with only his pants on in a matter of seconds. Her hands were steady, but she breathed heavily, frowning all the time through.

She grimaced while examining his punctured shoulders. Her medicine knowledge was shallow, and she really hadn't seen wounds this severe before.

Sesshoumaru looked at her from between his eyelashes. He was having trouble staying awake, and he figured that the sun must have risen by now, which would partially explain his sleepy state.

"Just keep the body together, Kagome, the wounds will close soon enough." He whispered, and clenched his teeth immediately afterwards. Kagome took a fast, deep breath, and reached for the bandages as he bent to allow her access to the wounds on his back.

The woman's eyes filled with tears at the sight of those gashes. She could actually see one of his ribs. The flesh was hanging limply aside, and the bone was clearly visible, if only for a portion of an inch. That was enough as it was, she thought.

Trails of claws ran across his back, and she thought that the bandages weren't gonna be enough.

"Can you hold this?" she unfolded one end and carefully placed it just below his shoulders. Sesshoumaru slowly lifted an arm and secured the piece. She bent over him and passed the fabric around his torso, carefully returning to their place every piece of flesh cut open and hanging on each side of the wounds. As she did this, Kagome felt nausea gather in her stomach, and she held back her sickness, swallowing often. Her hands moved warily as she reshaped his body, and Sesshoumaru tried not to flinch much. His eyes were hollow and he could barely keep them open.

He breathed in her scent, and Kagome momentarily stopped as he let out his breath. Seeing as he continued to breathe shallowly, she paused completely and gave him a concerned look.

"Stop wasting your strength." Her words were the result of worry, and he could clearly hear it in her dim voice. With a wave of regret, he took one last deep breath, focusing on her scent, and then stopped. Kagome soon finished her job, and was now in the dark. And somewhat embarrassed.

The contact with his cold skin had been shocking, in more ways that one, and she was surprised at the fact that she was so composed through the entire time. Sesshoumaru laid on his back, not having much better choices, and frowned in pain.

"Arigato gozaimasu." He said, and Kagome's eyes shot at him, surprised at the respectful wording.

She nodded, and focused on his eyes. They were fluttering closed every now and then, and she could see how difficult it was for him to stay awake.

"Close your eyes. Rest." She said, and Sesshoumaru wanted to smile, but had no power left. Kagome lightly touched hid eyelids with the tips of her fingers, and he closed his eyes.

"I won't die." He mumbled, as exhaustion got the better of him, and Kagome smiled sadly at his last thought. He'd been worried about her and the impossibility of her knowing whether he was still alive or not.

After a few minutes in which she eyed him attentively, Kagome felt a powerful shudder across her chest and her hand clutched onto the fabric of her shirt, just below her stomach. She scowled while fighting with her tears. She rapidly stood up and rushed into the bathroom, closing the door and leaning back against it, then gliding down the carved wood surface.

Her breath caught a few times in her chest, and she pressed a hand over her mouth to stop her sniveling. She closed her eyes tightly and bent her head to rest on her knees. Her body was shivering and images of his horrible wounds were still fresh before her eyes.

Kagome wasn't so sure that she could stay in this place, anymore. Too many dangers were lurking, and even though few concerned her, many were targeting him. She didn't think she could take another night like this one, when her every bit of courage and strengths was stretched to its limits, when every piece of emotion she had experienced was directly channeled towards him.

She shifted, banging her head against the door as she looked up at the ceiling. At least this room had a window, and she could see the purple light of daybreak spreading inside the room. She was cold, and dirty, and filled with concern. She was afraid, and settled at the same time. Kagome shook her head and decided to stay a little longer. She hadn't forgotten what she'd promised him.

:---:

About the werewolves, it goes like this. They are creatures of the darkness, just like vampires, which may sometimes live among humans (just one clan of them). They may take the appearance of a human or a wolf, or anywhere in between. Like, a werewolf may look like a bigger human with claws and fangs, and rough features. Uhm, they usually live in the wilderness… and hate vampire's guts. They can heal very very extremely fast, although I really don't know if quite as fast as I've said it here. Oh well…

Werewolves are … allergic to silver bullets, or anything else made of silver which could be inserted into their bodies… Yeah, and Sesshoumaru's poison, cuz I had to give the poor guy a chance! Actually, if a vampire comes across a werewolf there are slim to none chances that he gets out alive, unless he's like 2000 years old or so. Yeah, it's that bad. So you see why Sesshoumaru was so worried.